Doing Church as a Team , livre ebook

Endorsements
Praise for Doing Church as a Team
Doing Church as a Team is one of the most refreshing books I have read in a long time. I have made it mandatory reading for all of my pastoral staff.
Ché Ahn senior pastor, Harvest Rock Church Pasadena, California
Every time I talk to Wayne Cordeiro, I am inspired and enthused about what God is doing through his church in Hawaii. Doing Church as a Team is easy to understand and easy to apply. Every church leader should read this book.
Bob Buford founding chairman, Leadership Network
Wayne Cordeiro is one of the spiritual giants of our time. No better book exists on the subject of building teams.
Bill Easum founder and president, The Effective Church Group
Very few young leaders have Wayne Cordeiro’s combination of gifts, character, and leadership. I am completely unreserved in recommending his work because I know him well. I trust his vision and values in both a personal and public dimension, and I believe he is being raised up by God as a voice to the larger Body at this pivotal time in the Church.
Jack W. Hayford founding pastor, The Church On The Way chancellor emeritus, The King’s University, Van Nuys, California
A joyous book written in the breezy style of a native island song, Doing Church as a Team isn’t just about mobilizing people to do the work of the church. This is about releasing people into a whole new spiritual dimension in their lives—a place where they begin to understand that God created each of us for a purpose. Mahalo, Wayne!
John C. Maxwell founder, EQUIP
Wayne Cordeiro’s thriving congregation is one of America’s truly great churches. Doing Church as a Team , however, is not about how to build a megachurch. Wayne is committed to building people one by one. His passion is to help every believer find his or her unique place of fruitful service in God’s house and among the lost in God’s harvest fields.
Ron Mehl former pastor, Beaverton Foursquare Church Beaverton, Oregon
The key word in this book is team . Wayne Cordeiro is equipping people for leadership and giving them a vision of how to pull together to build the work of God. The principles in this book will work in a church of fifty as well as they do in Pastor Cordeiro’s megachurch in Honolulu.
Elmer L. Towns dean emeritus of the School of Religion and Theological Seminary, Liberty University
There is no such thing as a formula for growing a church, but there are foundational principles underlying the growth of every one. Wayne Cordeiro has these principles in place, and he shares his secrets in this remarkable book.
C. Peter Wagner founder, Wagner University
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2001, 2004, 2022 by Wayne Cordeiro
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
This edition published 2022
ISBN 978-0-7642-1848-4 (trade paper)
ISBN 978-1-4412-3063-8 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-7642-4073-7 (casebound)
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014955677
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled T HE M ESSAGE are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled WEB are from the World English Bible version of the Bible.
Cover design by LOOK Design Studio
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Contents
Cover
Endorsements 1
Half Title Page 3
Title Page 5
Copyright Page 6
Acknowledgments 9
Introduction: Lost Connection 11
1. Connection and Rhythm 19
2. Connection and God’s Plan 28
3. Connection and Your Identity in Christ 36
4. Connecting Through the Gifts God Gave You 48
5. Finding Your Fit 62
6. The Fastest Way to the Throne 78
7. Connecting Leadership Gifts in the Church 90
8. Developing Servant-Leaders 106
9. Setting Your Compass 124
10. Alignment: The Power of Moving and Connecting Together 148
11. Building Teams 172
12. Transitioning a Church Culture Toward Greater Connection 191
13. Nurturing the Team Toward Deeper Connection 210
Epilogue: A Moving Picture 225
About the Author 227
Back Ad 229
Back Cover 230
Acknowledgments
No one stands alone. In my life, dozens of people have given me input and inspiration for this book. I have been mentored by scores of wonderful people who may never win a prize or get their names in print. These are my silent heroes—men and women who have jewel-studded crowns awaiting them from the One they so willingly serve.
Thank you, wonderful New Hope family of churches all over the world. We have chosen to live life together as co-laborers. You are my family. To the hundreds of volunteers who put their hands to the plow and have never looked back, thank you.
Thank you, my publishing partners at Bethany, who have been so supportive in all my endeavors.
Great gratitude and love also go to my dear wife, Anna, and my children, Amy, Aaron, and Abigail, from whom I have learned so much. I have so much yet to learn, but with your love and support, I will never give up! Each one of you is a gift to my life.
I have no greater joy than to team up with thousands of churches as together we make a difference. The Life Journals bring us closer to our Master, and Doing Church as a Team will bring us closer to our calling as saints on this spinning globe.
Introduction
Lost Connection
For the last ten years or so, the North American Church has been in what can best be described as “transition.” I don’t know if the heyday of megachurches is past its zenith, but I do know that attendance is down, leaders are leaving ministry, and the connection people once felt to their local church is not enough to keep them consistent.
While the church may evolve, and while leaders come and go, I’ve yet to see a church move the wrong direction if the people within it are working together on a common mission. When people are able to use their gifts and time to do something needed and significant within a church, the church not only grows deep, but it grows wide.
The era of big-personality leaders attracting people to their church may be waning, but the timelessness of people reaching for their Kingdom dreams of ministering together will never fail to grow a church.
When I first started New Hope in Oahu in 1995, I had a handful of people who came with me from Hilo. We had to stick together and work together or fade into irrelevance together. What we did was more than just dividing up the tasks we needed to accomplish on Sunday morning. Instead, we found each other’s areas of passion and released, supported, and found a way to make every “job” a ministry. This was not simply a way to get things done, but it was the way that connected us together in everything we did.
I believed then, and still believe today, that if we join hearts and hands and learn from each other, we can bring this country—and the Church—back from the brink. But we have to work together.
Who Are You?
You’ll quickly notice that this book is primarily for leaders: pastors, elders, deacons, associate pastors, teachers . . . the main decision-makers within a church, those who help with the overall culture and structure of a particular body of believers.
But I want to also speak to you within the church, and even to those who may be taking a break. The reason? I see a deep disconnection happening for people inside and outside of the church family today. We are wired into information, but we’re not wired into the needs of people. We are connected by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but we’re not connected in ways that have depth, meaning, and a true sense of community.
This is a problem in the church, and it’s a problem for individuals. Sadly, many who thought to themselves that they would take a short break from the church aren’t coming back. I’ve heard estimates of unchurched Christians in the 35 to 40 million range. While bad experiences and hurt feelings may have caused many to leave, others find the back door for other reasons: Their gifts aren’t being used in ways that are making a difference in the hearts of people. The jobs given them within the church don’t challenge them and grow them in spiritual ways. They are not treated the way they believe Jesus would treat them. They don’t feel truly connected to a few other believers in genuine ways where they can be themselves. They’ve noticed that some local bodies have an “appearance-driven believer” vibe that seems disingenuous to the gospel. They’re just tire